This invention is in the area of three-dimensional holiday decorations and their manufacture, more specifically, an illuminated decoration replacing a natural stem on the top of a pumpkin, squash or gourd-type fruit of the type used in Halloween, Thanksgiving, Harvest, Christmas and similar holiday-type decorations. Methods of creating artificial pumpkins for decoration are taught in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,491,007 and 5,811,160, both by Chapman. The subject invention deals specifically with creation of an artificial stem, replacing a natural stem. When in transport or packing proceedures, the natural stems of pumpkins and the like can be knocked loose or off, such that when said fruits arrive at an outlet to be presented for sale, said natural stems may not be present or may be removed from a natural pumpkin or like fruit. Thus the need for an artificial stem, or a more decorative artificial stem.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,099,604, Gallo teaches an artificial stem for flowers which acts as a feeder tube for water to reach a cut flower. That concept for an artificial stem is primarily to help a cut flower live longer, in part by capillary action, providing the cut flower with moisture. The present concept is primarily for decorative purposes, and does not aid in the life support of the cut pumpkin, squash or like fruit.
Chemically activated luminescence is very well explained in various patents, such as U.S. Pat. No. 3,576,987 by Voight, et al, a light stick device, and further in U.S. Pat. No. 5,043,851 by Kaplan, describing a polygonal design in a chemiluminescent lighting device. These devices are incorporated in the preferred embodiment of this invention. All prior art falls short of providing an easily affixed and decorative replacement stem for a pumpkin, squash or the like used at holiday times as decorative centerpieces or adornments in homes, businesses and stores. All prior art also falls short of providing a system of display upon a festive fruit by use of decorative jewel-like xe2x80x9cwartsxe2x80x9d.
It is an object of the invention to provide a replacement for missing or removed stems of the variety found naturally on the fruit of the pumpkin, squash or gourd.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a stem as mentioned in which illumination means are provided to enhance the decorative nature of the stem. It is a further object to provide various decorative stem replacements, also having means of illumination.
A further object is to provide various adorning appendages to the natural pumpkin, squash or other gourd-type fruit any of which having means for illumination. The above and other objects of the invention are achieved in the following disclosed embodiments by providing an attachable artificial replacement stem or appendage comprising a stem piece or a stem-like body which has the appearance of an actual natural stem, or may take the form of some appendage such as warts or an apparition. The said appendage may be of some type of a decorative holiday theme, an apparition or the like, or jewel-like bubbles, similar to xe2x80x9cwartsxe2x80x9d found on certain gourd-type fruits. Said xe2x80x9cjeweled bubblesxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cwartsxe2x80x9d are made to be easily attachable to the fruit surface, and glow by chemically luminescent means. Said artificial stem piece may be made from a choice of a wide variety of materials, for example, plastic, glass, acrylic or many other translucent, reflective or decorative-type materials.
It is a purpose to provide means of creation of a decorative lighted artificial stem constructed with the use of chemically luminescent materials, designed to be light emitting, reflecting or chemiluminescent in order to provide a festive decoration. Means for attachment to the pumpkin or the like are provided, at or about the spot where the natural stem would have protruded. The said attachment means being by either or both of an adhesive or a spike which inserts through the fruit, and once inserted is designed to hook into the natural shell of the main body of the said pumpkin or the like. It is a purpose to provide lighted xe2x80x9cjewelsxe2x80x9d which can be affixed by similar means at any point upon the surface of the fruit, and provide decorative bumps or xe2x80x9cwartsxe2x80x9d similar to the natural display of xe2x80x9cwartsxe2x80x9d on a typical gourd or like-type fruit.
A purpose of the invention is to replace stems which have been broken or are missing from pumpkins or the like and the ultimate purpose is to create a replacement stem more decorative and festive than the natural stem such that even pumpkins or the like which are missing stems may made to be at least as decorative as those with the natural stem still affixed.
It is a further purpose to encourage replacement of natural stems with artificial stems, and to provide jewel-like xe2x80x9cwartsxe2x80x9d and augmentations with the more decorative replacements provided herein, providing a more festive holiday-type decoration, pumpkin or fruit centerpiece-type decoration.
It is a further purpose to provide decorative adornments and apparitions which will enhance the decorative or holiday appearance of the natural fruits on display, and to provide those adornments with illumination such that said adornments will show and be displayed in the dark.
Those skilled in holiday design and decoration will appreciate and be able to derive a vast array of embodiments of the art after reviewing the following detailed description of the invention. The replacement xe2x80x9cstemsxe2x80x9d with illumination and jewel-like xe2x80x9cwartsxe2x80x9d can take a variety of shapes, sizes and forms, even to be small characters such as ghosts, witches, animals or any suitable apparition, letter or number, word or words, display, poster, sign, advertisement, message or alert signal. All of which are to be constructed in a number of known or inventive ways.